Elgin gas released stopped

On 16 May, Total confirmed that the gas release from the Elgin platform in the North Sea has been stopped.

A dynamic kill operation was used heavy mud to stem the flow of gas from the G4 well.

This is the first stage in the process to permanently seal the well. Monitoring will now take place over the next few days to assess the complete success of the operation. After that, work can begin to permanently plug and abandon the well.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry said: “The fact Total has managed to stop gas leaking from the Elgin platform is clearly excellent news. We will continue to monitor the success of the operation closely to ensure that the well can now be safely and permanently secured.

“The Government has been working closely with TOTAL throughout this incident to resolve it as quickly and safely as possible with minimum impact on the environment.”

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore added: “This is welcome news from the Elgin platform and good progress. It is important that the work continues to manage and monitor the well over the coming days to ensure the operation to stop the gas leak has been a complete success.

“The UK Government has been in touch with the company throughout this incident and DECC has closely monitored progress throughout. I am certain that key lessons will be learned from this leak which can be applied across the sector.”